The Case of the Jealous Prankster
by Leah Sora-Parker
Summary: It's all fun and games until someone gets hurt, right? But what if it had never been all fun and games in the first place? That's what the Cahills learn when a mysterious prankster starts pranking them one by one, steadily getting deadlier by the minute. Who is the prankster and what does he want? Better yet, why are his targets only girls? (For Phantomhive Cahill's Contest)
1. Chapter 1

**WARNING: Blood, insanity, almost death. NO LIKEY, NO READY. **

**AU where everyone who dies in C vs. V is alive except V1 and Isabel. **

**Entry for 'Jealous Much?' Contest!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing or I would be bringing people back from the grave.**

* * *

"Hey, Dan?"

"Hmm?"

"Have you ever felt like something watching you? Like, something... _**dark**_."

"No, why? Are the geeks from summers past coming back to haunt you?"

"...shut up," Amy snapped at him, then muttered in a lower tone, "I guess it was just my imagination..."

* * *

It had been two weeks since the conversation with Amy. Dan still didn't get what she was talking about. Something dark? Seriously? That could be anything. And it was watching her? Yeah, no. The best thing Dan could come up with was the ghost of Vesper 1, which he didn't believe was true. After all, why would he come haunt them specifically? They weren't the only ones who caused his downfall, plenty of other Cahills and incompetent Vespers contributed to it too. So why would he haunt them? Dan shook his head. It made no sense.

Raising a hand, he knocked on the door to the Kabra mansion, two blocks from Attlebro, and stepped back down to the first step of the porch. It had been a habit ever since a period-induced Natalie had opened the door screaming about cheese looking like Justin Bieber while beaning him with a purple hairbrush in the eye. Not a great experience. Thankfully, it was Ian who answered the door this time.

"Hello Daniel, may I ask what is the reason you decided to visit us?" he asked. Dan glared at him.

"Okay, first, it's _Dan_ and-SWEET NINJA LORD!" he screamed as he dived to the side as a hairbrush (a blue one this time) flew past his head. Followed immediately by it companion purple brush and a very unlucky shoe.

"GO AWAY YOU EVIL DEVIL!" Natalie screamed from inside. Ian threw a worried glance over his shoulder at his sister. A week beforehand, Natalie had been the victim of some very emotionally scarring pranks. Everyone had assumed it was Dan, which he had protested that it _wasn't _him, until it had moved to Reagan. Nobody, not even Natalie herself, knew who the mysterious prankster was. But that didn't stop her from blaming Dan.

"If you value your life, you will speak quickly," Ian hissed at Dan, pushing a violent Natalie behind him. "NOW."

"I was just coming over to see if you guys found the culprit yet," Dan grumbled, picking himself up from the ground. "But you obviously haven't."

"Go!" Ian yelled as another hairbrush (_How many did she have?_) flew past his shoulder. Dan need no other prompting as he rocket back to Attlebro.

* * *

"They still haven't found him," Dan groaned as he plopped down on the couch. Hamilton patted him on the shoulder which resulted in Dan being thrown on the floor.

"Opps, sorry little buddy," he said as he helped Dan back on the couch. "But it's okay, we'll catch this joker sooner or later."

"I'd rather it be sooner rather than later," Dan muttered, sinking into the couch. He hated being blamed for pranks, harmful pranks at that, that he didn't do.

"Well, don't worry, Amy said she's putting her plan into action tonight," Reagan piped up from the other side of the couch. That just made Dan groan even more.

"Oh right," he said mockingly. "The _Plan_."

The Plan was a last-ditch effort to single out the culprit. It was simple really.

1.) Use Reagan as bait to lure the culprit.

2.) Booby-trap her room.

3.) Sit and wait.

_That's the best you could come up with Amy, really?_ I _could've thought of something better._ Dan's train of thought was interrupted by the opening of the door.

"Guys," Amy said. "It's time."

* * *

"Will it really be okay?" Reagan asked Amy. Amy nodded.

"Of course it will," Hamilton reassured her. "Besides, we'll be in the room the whole time." The words seemed to calm Reagan down as she laid back in her bed.

~Timeskip named Bob of 45 minutes later~

"Can I go to the bathroom?"

"Dan, you asked 5 minutes ago!"

"Yeah, well, I need to go _now_."

"You-just go."

"See ya," he said as he exited the room. He reappeared about five minutes later, sitting down on the couch. After a minute full of squirming, he opened his mouth to ask a question when screaming cut him off. The other were up in a flash, Amy disabling the traps as they went. When they reached the hallway, they finally saw their mistake. They had assumed the prankster was going after Reagan. They had forgotten about her twin sister, Madison.

"Madison, are you alright?" Hamilton and Reagan asked her at the same time. Madison nodded shakily but pointed to her room. (The Holts were staying over at Attlebro until the whole mess blew over.) Peering inside, everyone gasped at the sight. Clothes were yanked off hangers, pillows and curtains were ripped into shreds, and the worst part were the red spray painted words on the wall: STAY AWAY. The message was clear enough; whoever was doing these pranks wanted them out of there. Arnold, the Holts' pitbull, sat by Madison's now wrecked bed, wagging his tail up at them.

"That's weird," Reagan murmured, bending down to pet him. "Arnold would never let anyone into any of our rooms unless..."

"He knew them," Madison finished for her. The air grew heavier.

"Well, maybe someone bribed him with a steak," Dan joked, trying to lighten the mood. Before anyone could respond though, the door bell rang.

"I'll get it," Amy offered. A few minutes later, Amy returned with Jonah, Ian, and Natalie in tow. After a few subdued 'hellos' and various other greetings were exchanged, Amy got right to the point.

"There is a prankster among us," Amy said. "So far, he has done nothing except prank Natalie and Reagan, albeit harmful pranks. Now, though, he has gone onto threaten Madison. If that is not enough, _he is one of us._"

Silence descended upon the already depressed room. Once again, Dan became the ice breaker. "So... I'll go get some drinks? Right, I'm going."

As soon as Dan left, Ian stood up. "Be back in a moment," he said and walked out the door. Everyone was growing increasingly nervous, so it was no surprise when the lights shut off that several screamed. They sat like that for who knows how long, waiting for the lights to come back on. A sudden shriek ripped through the air that was cut off by a sudden 'thud.' The lights flickered back on and the remaining Cahills found that Jonah was gone. They anxiously padded out of the room, not looking forward to finding the source of the scream. Amy was in the lead when they rounded the corner, so she was the first to see the body.

The body was left on a lower level of the stairs, staring up at the higher one. Blood ran from a concussion on the head and began to pool around the body. The once pretty dress was stained red as the pool steadily grew bigger. The scars on the body's arms seemed to be paler than the already paling skin, evidence of the abuse of past wounds. The body's breath began to grow shallower and slower, dropping below normal levels. A scream finally tore its way from Amy's lips.

"SINEAD!"

No one would notice until later the note spelled in blood: YOU'RE NEXT.

* * *

**How did you like it so far? The prankster is supposed to be the jealous person. But why he's jealous of the girls is something that I will explain next chapter. Hey, jealousy is not such a pretty thing! And don't worry, no one's dead... YET! (Jk, I probably won't kill anyone. :P) Anyways, TBC.**


	2. Chapter 2

**DUN-DUN-DUUUN! My heroic return to a two-shot when I should be updating my other works! But hey! Two-shots are easy to write! The only things better are one-shots. They're even better when they DON'T turn into a drabble series *glares at Type of Papa, not meaning it* or have followers *glares at Opposite Ends, still not meaning it* when it's ****_suppose _****to be a ****_one_****-shot. Eh. *shrug***

**P-R-O-C-R-A-S-T-I-N-A-T-I-O-N=**

**Please**

**wRite**

**Only**

**Chapters**

**Rarely**

**And**

**Short.**

**The**

**Immediately**

**Notified**

**Audience**

**Then**

**wIll**

**beat the hell Out of**

**and possibly Nag to death.**

**:D**

**And that is how you will remember P-R-O-C-R-A-S-T-I-N-A-T-I-O-N fokes!**

**...**

**Just read the chapter**

**Disclaimer: ME OWN NOTHING! GAH! It hurts my heart );**

* * *

**Review Shoutouts:**

**PhantomhiveCahill: Thanks, I don't really think it's that original. I've just watching too many TV crime/drama shows! XD I hope you're shocked when the culprit is revealed!**

**The Gone Angel: I really don't think it's gonna win but thanks for the vote of confidence! And I can't tell you the culprit... YET.**

**Otakusofia: DO. NOT. READ. THIS. AT. NIGHT. Wait, WHAT?! You did it anyway? Well, don't say I didn't warn you! XD**

**Guest: Is this soon enough?**

**Stine Chan USA: Extremely jealous! XD**

**Faves: 2**

**Follows: 5**

**Me: I LUV U GUYS! On a completely random note, I'm writing this while listening to Whiskey Lullaby. Sad song. ); And Evanescence songs. And-you get the point.**

* * *

"I'm sorry," Amy sobbed at Sinead's infirmary bed. They had moved the injured Ekat to the built-in hospitable bed in HQ and, thankfully, the on-hand doctors had said she was going to live. Now it was a matter of time to see when she would wake up.

"If only-" Amy began again but broke off with a cry. Dan hovered worriedly by her side, Ian at the other end. The remainder of the Starling siblings sat, subdued, in chairs as did the rest of the girls. Hamilton was at Sinead's bed, opposite of Amy, holding onto Sinead's hand like a lifeline, which, in a way, it was. Jonah was pacing nervously around the room (he had been found under a chair in Madison's room) as was Nellile. Amy began to calm down and stifled her sobs so that she could speak.

"Guys," she said, her voice coming out cracked and raspy. They looked at her and she flinched at what she saw: terror, confusion, sadness, but worst of all, resignation. They were used to this. No normal kids-scratch that, no _kid _was suppose to be used to this pain, this feeling of dread, knowing that your next, that you might... _**die.**_ That last part was like a whisper to Amy, a ghost that shouldn't be there but was. It made her shiver and she pulled Dan closer to her, also unconsciously taking Ian's hand as well.

She was scared. The name, the vicious title of their enemies, played on her lips. 'V.' **_"Vespers..."_** Said aloud, everyone shuddered. Said silently in their head, it sounded like a death threat. What were kids suppose to do against an evil organization that stretched back centuries? No, kids weren't even suppose to think of that, much less actually _do _anything.

"Amy?"

She snapped out her daze at the sound of Dan's voice. She looked down and their eyes locked; jade eyes, one pair frightened, one pair weary, communed in the closest of ways.

_What do we do Amy?_

_It'll be okay Dan._

_But what if it's not?_

_Dan-_

_I'm scared Amy._

_Don't worry, I'll... I'll protect you._

_What if it's not enough? **Because you know it's not.**_

Amy jerked back, eyes widening as it seemed a different darkness filled Dan's eyes. It seemed to dance around like a little fire-or a devil. It seemed to smirk back at her while Dan looked on with a bewildered look of bruised innocence.

"Amy..?" he asked in a small voice. Dan was her little brother, not some evil person, she scolded herself. Because really, it was easier to pretend nothing was wrong with him, with her, with any of them. It was better (_**easier**_) to pretend they weren't broken, **_because they were. _**Aloud, she said, "I'll always be here Dan, don't worry."

"Okay Amy," he said. _**Until you die that is.**_

She wanted to scream at it, to order it out of Dan. But she couldn't do anything, and it knew. And because it knew, it gloated, it mocked, it drove them to the breaking point. They weren't AmyandDan anymore; it was more like Amy and Dan.

And what neither of them knew, was that it was about to break them completely.

* * *

It had to act fast. It warily stepped over the sleeping bodies, discarding It's stance once outside the room and into the hallway. It took a right and went down the stairs to the kitchen. Throwing a door open, It began to search.

This one? No, too big. What about this? No, too small. Ah, just the right one.

It felt him stirring inside, beginning to awaken. Smirking, It waited with it's treasure in tow for him to awaken.

_Woah, what-oh, a dream._

Laughing at his response, It began to raise its treasure up. Gingerly, It lowered the treasure to his wrist.

_Okaaaaaaay? What am I doing with a knife?_

In response, It slashed viciously at his wrist. He couldn't even cry out, It was in control. But that didn't stop the pain. Or the screams.

_AAAAHHHH! STOP IT, IT HURTS! SOMEONE WAKE ME UP!_

"**No**," It whispered, slashing once again at the already mutilated wrist. It relished in his mental screams, his mental pleads, the sound of his breaking. Oh, how It loved him in It's own twisted way. Like the way winter came: a bit fun, always cold, never kind. And It would never let go of him.

_Please STOP._

**_Why?_**

_It hurts!_

**_How much?_**

_To the point of not being able to feel._

**_It's not enough then._**

And again, the cold metal bit into his skin. The mental screams start up again.

_IT HURTS! IT HURTS, IT HURTS, ITHURTSITHURTSITHURTSITHURTSITHURTS-_

It was time to start on the other wrist. A red river flowed out of the already abused wrist, running down to pool into a small ocean near his feet. The flesh was torn, leaving a jagged line behind. The wound would mostly likely leave a scar. Good. He needed to know who his master was.

_PLEASE, I'LL DO ANYTHING! JUST STOP! HELP, SOMEONE, ANYONE!_

**_No ones here... except me._**

_PLEASE! AMY!_

**_Only _I _can hear you screaming._**

_WHY?_

**_Because I _love_ you-and for that I _hate_ you._**

And It drove the knife in one last time, openly screaming now. Because It knew its love was crooked, sadistic, cruel. Yet It couldn't help it. So It screamed in pain, in anger, in jealousy over what will never be It's own. It had its fun and know It was going to be driven back into its corner of his mind, to be forgotten and hated because of its existence, because of the pain It brought. Still, It would protect him against these things by its existence, because that is why It existed in the first place.

**_Do you love me?_**

_NO! I HATE YOU!_

**_Oh, don't worry Dan, you'll come to love me. Maybe fear me first but love me all the same._**

_You sicko!_

**_But Dan-_I am you.**

And in its own way, It would break him until only It was left. Because the only way to love him was for It and him to be the same. And the only way to protect him was to tear him down until there was nothing left. Yes, its love was warped and skewed, distorted to look like love when simply, it was jealousy bottled up until it became a sick love. But It didn't have a mirror to look through, to see the its own hideous reflection. It looked through his eyes into the mirror and saw a pale, manically grinning, 13-year old boy, not the monster It actually was.

Even when the others took his love to the mad house, It loved him. Even when he screamed at him to get out of his head, It cared in its own way. Even when the people in the white suits gave him the pill, made it all fuzzy and white, It was there. It would never leave the one It was destined to love, to hate, to be jealous of. Now, stranded in a padded room, wearing a straitjacket, It would forever love him. It-no, that's not its name.

Dan Cahill tore himself down to protect the part of him that still cared. He loved that part of him, enough to go insane for that sane part. Sadly, though, it had already left him long ago.

_**I love you...**_

_**I hate you...**_

_**Where are you?**_

_**Nowhere.**_

* * *

jealouy-noun.

1. jealous resentment against a rival, a person enjoying success or advantage, ect., or against another's success or advantage itself.

2. mental uneasiness from suspicion or fear of rivalry, unfaithfulness, ect., as in love or aims.

3. vigilance in maintain or guarding something.

* * *

"The jealous are troublesome to others, but a torment to themselves."-William Penn

* * *

**...I'm staring at this right now with an expression of relief, horror, and 'WTF?!' I didn't know that I could even write this until I did. Okay, to clear this up, when I referred to 'It' I meant the insane part of Dan that was jealous of the sane part of Dan because the sane-Dan could actually care. So, the insane-Dan did all those pranks and pushed Sinead to capture the sane-Dan's attention. Near the end, the insane-Dan is all that's left after destroying the sane-Dan to protect and love him, leaving insane-Dan behind by himself...**

**Yeah.**

**WTF?!**

**I don't really understand it myself and I'm the one wrote it! XD Hope you enjoyed it though! Sorry if I strayed from the first chapter but I was trying to make each chapter have a different P.O.V. I put Amy's P.O.V. first to tell you that Amy already knew about insane-Dan. Also on the Vespers part, they already defeated the Vesper 1 but I made them still the Cahills enemies because I thought there were TONS of them. Anyway, that's all, thanks for reading, reviewing, and to NOT asking me to redo this! Goodnight-um... everywhere!**


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